little_scamp wrote: » i hear its an incredibly expensive country
H2G2 wrote: » As a frequent visitor I don't think its any worse than here really... depends on what you do. Car hire and tours are expensive. Food and drink isn't that bad. It just depends on where you eat. You can spend a fortune if you want, but that is true anywhere. Here is the menu prices for 3 of my personal choices in the downtown Reykjavik area (known as the 101, which is a postcode).http://www.cafeparis.is/menu/http://www.asia.is/hadegi/http://www.nudluskalin.com/english/menu
deaddonkey15 wrote: » Just returned from Iceland on Sunday. I would definitely recommend renting a car to get around. The scenery when just driving from place to place can be amazing. Not sure if you will be able to drive around the whole island in one week whilst also stopping to enjoy all the natural attractions. Especially as driving conditions be not be great at that time of year. We did the Golden Circle this day last week which took pretty much the whole day to get around. Gullfoss waterfall was a particular highlight. We went around it clockwise so if you do the same and are feeling peckish towards the end, I would recommend stopping in a town called Selfoss as they have a great restaurant called Surf and Turf. The prices there were reasonable too. Last Thursday we drove from Reykjavik down along the south coast to a town called Vik approximately 200km away. The black sand beaches were at Vik which are pretty cool however the weather was horrific when we got there so we didn't hang around too long. The scenery driving to Vik however is amazing and on the way you will get to stop at Kerid crater, which is basically a massive hole in the ground after a volcano collapsed in on itself once upon a time. After that is Seljalandsfoss waterfall - this is the famous waterfall that you can walk in behind. Very impressive and looks very cool as you drive towards it because you can see it from miles away. After that is Skogarfoss waterfall which is also amazing, much bigger than Seljalandsfoss - very high and powerful. You can walk up to the river it flows into and even have a dip in if your brave enough however it would probably be extremely cold at that time of year. You can climb up the steps alongside Skogarfoss to see it from the top. The view is amazing. Between Skogarfoss and Vik is a black sand beach where an american military plane crashed decades ago. No road signs for it so you will have to look up the location online. It's easily missed as it requires a turn off onto a gravel road. We tried it but had to turn back as it was very bumpy and our car wasn't insured for off road driving. Blue Lagoon is ok. A friend of mine went to Iceland recently and said it was the least impressive thing they did. 80% of tourists go there however so you may as well. I preferred the Fontana geothermal baths which are situated on the Golden Circle. Smaller, a bit cheaper and a bit more authentic. They are located in a town called Laugarvatn on the Golden Circle just after Pingvellir National Park. Food and drink is plentiful in Reykjavik, we didn't spend much time there in the evenings, only went once, however it seemed like a great spot for a night out. My friend went to a bar called Prikid which is where they got the best craic off the locals. My group last week went to a club called Austur which is on the main bar/restaurant street in Reykjavik. We were there at around 11pm though and nights out in Iceland don't really pick up until about 1 or 2am. We didn't stay long as we had snorkeling booked for early next morning. The bar was fairly swanky though, but it was a bit small. We didn't sit town because all the empty tables were reserved! There's a gentleman's club across the road from that then - if you're interested. I don't think stripping is legal in Iceland so I'm not sure how great that place would be! We went snorkeling on our last day in Pingvellir national park with the Acrtic Adventures company. It was in crystal clear waters (that you can drink!) between two continental plates. This is a bit of a lie however as the plates are some distance apart however on that snorkeling tour you get the best chance to 'touch' two continental plates at the same time. 110e was the cost for the snorkeling however it was a good experience. If you are into diving I would urge you to do it, looking down whilst snorkeling and seeing about 100m under water was amazing, diving down there is probably an incredible experience. If you are renting a car, I would recommend Lagoon car rental. We went with them as they were the most reasonably priced. However all of them rental places will rip you off as they know tourists come specifically to drive around the island. Some of my place names may be spelled incorrectly, my apologies if so.
liam7831 wrote: » Great post, what kind of car insurance did you get for the car?
liamjames1 wrote: » Hi I am looking to do this as a long weekend break. I am thinking of booking a package, it's just under 600 and includes Flights 3 nights accom in a 3 star Transfers Gold circle tour Evening at lights Is this good value? The flights only seem to be coming in about 150. I have heard the taxi from the airport is expensive but wouldn't mind getting the bus which is 13 euro. In terms of cost of living how expensive is it as I imagine I will eat out a lot and probably have a couple drinks. Thanks everyone
